


Both or None

by ericsonclan



Series: The Everett Bunch [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, F/M, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Omid and Christa decide to give adoption a try.
Relationships: Christa/Omid (Walking Dead: Long Road Ahead)
Series: The Everett Bunch [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988578
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	Both or None

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

“Well, that was even better than I remembered,” Christa got up to turn off the TV. “I remember getting bored with  _ It’s a Wonderful Life  _ when I was younger, but it’s really grown on me over the years. I can’t believe this was our first time watching it to-” She paused as she noticed the expression on her husband’s face. “Omid? You OK, honey?”

“That was…  _ magical _ ,” Omid breathed, his voice a bit shaky. His eyes shone with unshed tears. He decided to use the end of the blanket they’d been sharing to dry them. “Holy shit, I did not expect to get that emotional over a movie made back in the 40’s. But seeing George fall for Mary and build a life together and their  _ kids _ ,” Omid held a hand out in front of him. “Zuzu’s petals,” he whispered before letting himself fall back against the couch, an arm thrown over his eyes. “God, I’m such a sap,”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” A gentle smirk played on Christa’s lips as she lifted her husband’ s legs to make room for herself on the couch.

Omid peeked at her from under his arm. “Stuff like that makes you think about what it’d be like if it wasn’t just the two of us here for Christmas,” A darkness fell over Christa’s features and he immediately backstepped. “Not that we need to talk about it. Forget I even said anything,”

“No, it’s out in the open now. We should discuss it. Besides, it’s been months since the test results came back,” Christa absentmindedly tugged at the toe of one of her husband’s socks. “I know it’s all either of us have been thinking about. It’s why we haven’t made any big travel plans for the summer like we usually do and why you haven’t started Christmas shopping and hiding my presents all over the house,” She looked at Omid with a warm, teasing smile before growing serious once more. “The doctors were pretty clear: even if we threw all of our savings at this, there’s no guarantee it will make me fertile,”

“But if it does, it will all have been worth it,” Omid argued, shifting to sit up. “If that’s what you want to do, I’ll fully support you, one hundred percent,”

Christa pursed her lips. “I’m not sure that it is. I’ve never been one to believe in miracles. I’d rather put our money toward something we’re sure would work than throw it all away on a pipe dream,”

“Well, there are other options. We could find a surrogate,”

“That feels too messy. To have another woman give birth to our child then keep her out of the baby’s life?” Christa shook her head. “Seems like a recipe for disaster,”

“Well, how would you feel…” Omid glanced up, meeting his wife’s eyes, “About adoption? They wouldn’t be ours by blood. I’m not sure how important that is to you,”

Christa was thoughtful. “I’ve certainly considered it these past couple months. If you’d asked me a couple years ago, I’d probably have said no, that I planned to have a child my own damn self. But the cards are stacked against us now and that’s really made me think if I want to give everything I’ve got to give birth to a child of my own when there are thousands of kids out there right now who need a home,” She looked back at her husband. “What about you? I don’t want you to feel like you have to move forward with something like this if it’s not what you truly want,”

“Honey, do you think I would have brought it up with you if it was something I was against? Have I ever been dishonest with you?” Omid caught the knowing glare in his wife’s eyes and cleared his throat. “Let me restate that. Have I ever lied to you about anything  _ other  _ than eating your fries?”

“You haven’t,” Christa ran a hand along his leg. “So… are you serious then? This is something you want?”

Omid’s gaze was steady now. “We’ve been trying for kids for years now. If it was going to happen it would’ve by now, and we’ve done the testing to figure out what’s wrong. Thinking about all the kids who are out there wishing for parents for Christmas… wouldn’t it be the best Christmas ever if we could make one kid’s wish come true?”

Christa felt her own throat constricting with emotion as she listened to her husband. “It would,”

Omid’s smile was bright. “Then let’s do this!”

Things moved quickly for the Farhads once they’d decided to pursue adoption. What they’d heard was normally a months if not years long process shortened itself when a window of opportunity appeared for them not two weeks later. A local foster shelter had need to relocate to a new facility and was looking to place children in homes as quickly as possible. If they found a kid they bonded with there, they really could have them home in time for Christmas.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Omid noticed how nervous Christa was looking. She wasn’t obvious with her fear, but he could see it in her eyes and the tension of her shoulders. Reaching out, he gently took her hand in his. “Hey, it’s gonna be fine. We’re playing this by ear. If we find the right kid, great. If not, we’ll get there when we get there,”

Christa nodded, taking in his words. “Right. We’ll see what happens,”

With that the couple headed inside. After checking in and filling out more paperwork, they were led to the playroom that was used for visiting hours. Dozens of children were in the room. Some ran around screaming and chasing each other while others kept more to themselves, playing quietly together or some on their own. It was a lot to take in.

Omid cleared his throat. “So, something we should probably have talked about before we came here: do we want a loud one or a quiet one?”

“Well, quiet would probably be preferred over screaming, but it’s not like loud is necessarily a bad thing,” Christa sidestepped some scattered toys on the floor. “A ‘loud’ child could have confidence and charisma. On the other hand, a quiet child could be imaginative and bright. Either one could work,”

“True,” Omid’s eyes scanned the room. “So, do we go through the room systematically or-” He was cut off abruptly when one of the youngsters barreled right into his gut, knocking all the air from him.

“Omid!” Christa hurried over to help him. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Omid wheezed. He looked down at the child who’d run into him who was looking up guiltily. Some of his dreadlocks had fallen into his eyes, obscuring his freckled face.

“I’m  _ really  _ sorry, mister!” the boy exclaimed. “I didn’t see you there. I was just trying to hide before-” Suddenly he stopped, looking wildly round himself before jumping behind Omid and clinging to his leg in fear. “I can’t let him find me!”

“What? Is someone after you, buddy?” Omid asked, trying to look back at the boy while keeping his leg in place.

Christa knelt down to be at eye level with the child. “If anything’s wrong, you can tell us,”

The boy looked at the both of them with wide eyes. “I’m hiding from Justin,” he whispered, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.

“Who’s Justin?” Christa prodded, eyeing the boy up and down. He was certainly skinny. Were they feeding him well enough here? If she suspected even a hint of abuse, she wouldn’t hesitate to report it even if it wrecked their own chances of adoption today.

“One of the other kids here. He’s  _ really _ mean. And he never gives me a turn, so I had to steal it,”

“Steal what?” Omid asked.

Slowly, as if afraid they would steal his treasure too, the boy showed them what he was clutching in his arms: a beat-up old xylophone. It had clearly seen years of use. The instrument was faded and dirty with two of the keys missing. The strand used to attach the mallet to the xylophone had long ago broken, the mallet now jammed unceremoniously in the open space left by the furthermost missing key.

“That looks awesome!” Omid exclaimed. “I can see why you wanted it so bad,”

The boy’s eyes lit up at his approval. “Yeah, I had to take it otherwise I wouldn’t get a turn. Miss Martin always tells us to take turns, but then Justin hogs it for the whole time and when I try to grab it from him he punches me. So this time I took it while he wasn’t looking,”

Christa smiled down at the boy. She liked his spunk. “Sounds to me like a smart move. Can you tell me your name?”

“I’m Louis,” He smiled brightly at his introduction, revealing a missing tooth.

“It’s nice to meet you, Louis. I’m Christa, and this is my husband, Omid,”

Omid lifted a hand in greeting. “That’s me! So Louis, can you tell us how old you are?”

“8 and a half. I’ll be 9 in July,” Louis declared, puffing up his chest.

Omid smiled. “Eight is a great age. Hey, do you think you could play a song for us on your xylophone? We’d love to hear one,”

Louis began jumping with glee at the request. “Yeah! I know a ton of songs! Here’s one of my favorites!” He immediately plopped down criss cross applesauce and began to play a lively tune that sounded to Omid and Christa like “Three Blind Mice”. As soon as he was done they both applauded, causing Louis to practically glow with pride before he launched into another song.

\---

An hour flew by as the three of them sat in a circle, listening to Louis’ music and asking him questions about his life. The boy was eager to answer everything, clearly attention-starved and eager to be seen. Christa and Omid shared several looks and knowing smiles as they got to know Louis better and better. They couldn’t believe their luck. The very first kid they talked to and he was the most charming tyke either of them had ever met.

When they finally reached a momentary lull in the conversation, Omid cleared his throat, drawing Louis’ attention. “Well, Louis, I’m sure you know why Christa and I are here. Would you like to come home and spend Christmas with us?”

Louis’ eyes lit up like gemstones before suddenly darkening. Without a word he ran off, leaving his xylophone behind.

Omid and Christa shared a puzzled look. “I have to say, that is  _ not  _ how I saw things panning out,” Omid mumbled.

Christa placed a comforting hand on her husband’s leg. “It was our first try. Maybe we’ll have more luck if we meet some of the other kids,”

“But Louis was  _ so _ cute! I got really excited,” Omid pouted, looking down at the abandoned xylophone. “I really thought he was the one,”

“I did too. I’m not sure why he responded like that,” Christa looked towards the clock on the wall. “There’s still an hour or so until visit hours are over. Want to keep looking?”

“OK…”

Just as the couple was rising to their feet, Louis came running back over, this time dragging another child behind him. He looked up at the couple with determined eyes. “It’s both or none of us!”

Omid and Christa looked at the young girl Louis had brought back with him. She looked to be about his age, but smaller and even skinner. Her short blonde hair was messy and unkempt and she slouched forward, holding her arms tightly against herself, her eyes trained on the floor. The couple shared another look. This wasn’t what they had expected.

Omid knelt down in front of Louis once more. “Y’know, Louis, we were just planning to foster one kid for now. But I’m sure we could bring you back for visits-”

“No!” Louis screamed, shaking his head firmly. He took a step back, still holding the girl’s hand. “I’m not leaving Violet! Nobody ever wants to adopt her ‘cause she’s shy, but she’s really cool and strong and-”

“Shut up, Louis!” the girl hissed, pulling back her hand. “Just go home with your new stupid parents!” With that she was off like a shot.

“Vi, wait!” Louis ran after her frantically. Christa and Omid followed suit. They eventually stopped by some children’s desks that had been pushed against the wall. Violet was hiding underneath one of them, her knees pulled up to her chest. Louis was holding on to the metal bars on either side of the desk, trying to reason with her through sniffles. “C’mon, Vi! I told you, they’re really nice! And I don’t wanna leave without you! You always look out for me and punch the other kids when they’re being mean to me. So I’m gonna look out for you too!”

Christa felt her heart ache at the sight before her. They couldn’t separate these kids. Louis clearly adored Violet and she had a feeling that Violet cared deeply for him too considering how upset she was at the thought of him leaving. She knelt down beside the desk, looking at the two kids. “Ok, here’s what we’re going to do. Louis, you’re going to go with Omid and talk some more so that Violet and I can have some time to get to know each other. You can be right over there where you can see us the whole time, OK?”

“I brought the xylophone with me and everything!” Omid added, lifting up the instrument in one hand. “We can jam out to some more tunes!”

Louis still looked worried, but he nodded, stepping aside so Christa could take his spot. He and Omid walked a slight distance away and sat down together.

Christa scooted over so she could sit beside the bench, able to see Violet but giving her enough space that she could make a run for it if she liked. “I figure you don’t want to talk right now, Violet. That’s fine. I’m going to share some things about myself and my husband, and if you want to listen, you can,”

Violet remained silent, her face hidden behind her knees. She was going to be a tough egg to crack.

“You know, when I was your age I didn’t care much for other kids. I used to punch them if they started to annoy me. It wasn’t a good thing to do, but I had a hard time breaking out of the habit. Sometimes I wondered if my parents wanted another daughter, one who wasn’t so serious or violent all the time. But they never said anything to prove my fears were true. They stuck by me and loved me and I’m still close to them today,” Christa glanced over to see if Violet was listening. It was hard to tell. She’d just have to keep going.

“My husband and I came here today because we heard that the foster home is relocating. A lot of kids are going to be moved around. I bet you’ve been worried about that, wondering if you’ll be separated from your friends. Change is going to come no matter what. If you’d like to stick with Louis though, my husband and I could take both of you home. We’d like that very much,”

Still nothing from Violet.

Christa sighed. “This doesn’t have to be a forever decision. Omid and I are taking things a day at a time. If you decide to come home with us but you don’t want to stay forever, that’s fine. But we’d love to at least give you and Louis a wonderful Christmas together. We can promise you that,”

“… said… one,”

She had spoken! “What was that?” Christa leaned forward, trying to hear Violet better.

“You said you only wanted one,”

“That was true at first. But that was when we only knew Louis. We were thinking to start with one, but Omid and I would love to have several kids. Starting off with two might be even better,”

Violet was eyeing her warily. From her behavior and body language, Christa was sure she’d been through some sort of abuse in her past. It saddened her to see someone so young already hurt and afraid.

Christa adjusted her position, sitting down cross-legged for more comfort. “Tell you what: there’s one hour left for visiting hours today. For that time you and I will talk and get to know each other. You can talk as much or as little as you like. At the end of the hour, I’ll ask if you want to come with us. If you do, great. And if you don’t…” Christa paused, feeling the weight of her next statement. “If you don’t, we won’t make Louis go with us either. We’re not going to separate you two.”

Violet’s eyes widened at Christa’s words. She hadn’t been expecting that. Hesitantly, she nodded.

“Alright then. I’ll start off first. Let me tell you about how I met Omid,”

\---

Christa talked for most of that hour. She shared stories from her life, her favorite movies, colors and foods, funny anecdotes about Omid, anything she thought would help Violet warm up and trust them a bit more. Violet only spoke a few times and just a sentence or two each time, but Christa appreciated each interaction. Violet had a soft, gentle voice, much lighter than she’d expected. Her green eyes were huge and got even wider whenever Christa said something that surprised her. As much as she’d entered this conversation with Violet as a show of good faith, Christa found herself growing fonder of the girl with each passing minute. Was she really that much of a sucker, falling for each lonely kid she met? Christa didn’t think so, but she also didn’t care. She wanted Louis and Violet to come home with her and Omid. She wanted them to be happy. And she’d do everything she could to make that happen.

When the hour was up, Christa crouched a bit closer under the desk, reaching out a hand. “Need some help getting out?”

Violet took Christa’s hand, her own hand small and limp in hers. As she came out from under the desk she blinked slowly as if readjusting to the light of the room.

“Alright, Violet. I told you the choice was yours. Would you like to come home with me and Omid?”

Violet didn’t look at her. Instead she watched Louis and Omid. Christa’s eyes followed hers, observing the pair. They looked so happy chatting with each other, like two peas in a pod. Louis was teaching Omid one of his tunes on the xylophone and Omid was doing his best to hit all the right notes, though he didn’t always succeed.

Christa turned back to Violet, watching her. Her expression was unreadable, almost stone-like, but Christa thought she could see the smallest smile upon her lips as she watched her friend. Violet caught her staring, glancing up at Christa before her gaze turned to the floor. Her hands were clenched in fists by her side. She was clearly afraid of all of this change. But she hadn’t said no. Christa waited in silence, hoping that the miracles she didn’t believe in would prove her wrong this one time.

“Yes,”

The word was short, small, soft-spoken. But Christa heard it. A smile broke out of her face as she knelt down to Violet’s level. “I’m glad. Thank you, Violet, for taking a chance on us,” She motioned towards Omid, giving him a thumbs up. Immediately the two boys were scurrying over, Louis tackling Violet in a hug.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Louis cheered. “This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!”

This time Christa knew she saw the smile on Violet’s face, small but clear. Christa shared a look with Omid, both of them smiling at each other before turning to Louis and Violet. They would keep them safe and happy, no matter what. They were coming home.

  
  



End file.
